Blair meets Ahern over backing for Trimble

By David Sharrock, Ireland Correspondent

12:00AM BST 10 Oct 2000

TONY BLAIR will test Bertie Ahern, the Irish Premier, today on how far he is prepared to go in helping David Trimble, the Ulster Unionist leader, overcome Protestant fears about the Good Friday Agreement.

The two leaders are meeting in Downing Street after a tumultuous fortnight for Mr Trimble, during which Unionist support for the agreement appears to have haemorrhaged. Having faced down party dissidents at the weekend, Mr Trimble confronts another challenge to his leadership at a meeting of the UUP's ruling council within weeks.

If the council votes to withdraw from power-sharing with Sinn Fein until the IRA begins to give up its arms, Mr Trimble may resign. If he does, the new power-sharing Stormont institutions will probably fall. Conscious of the need to maintain Mr Trimble's participation,

Mr Ahern hinted in a television interview on Irish state television on Sunday evening that he might be prepared to compromise over police reform. Dublin has until now lined up with the SDLP and Sinn Fein, representing Northern Ireland's Catholics, to insist that the Patten report on policing must be implemented in full.

Yesterday, however, addressing a meeting of British and Irish politicians in Galway, Mr Ahern made no direct references to Unionist fears over the future of policing.